@tezzofino This might sound nerdy but I just learnt it today. The wave of the light is at an angle and is pointing away from you so when you look at it at way the wave is pointing at you it appears bright or a better beam.
The angle of deflection could possibly(?) explain that. If you think about it, the air wouldn't exactly deflect the beam backwards, but rather knock it off a degree or seven.
@Metroid9824 This is because, there is more light hitting your eyes... When you are behind the beam less of the light is actually bouncing into your eyes, rather than if it were in front of you, a lot more light is actually going into your eyes, beams cannot be perfect, there will always be divergence, so light is always bouncing around. Its just that more of the light is in the front of the beam
the reason you see the beam is the same reason the sky is blue. Light is invisible until it hits your eyes so the beam is intrinsically invisible. however the gases in the atmosphere deflect a small percentage of the light so you can see the beam. the light is more likely to be deflected by a small angle than a large one so the beam is brighter when it only misses you by a small angle
because it puts u in line with the laser and you are getting direct exposure through the laser and it gives the beam more chances to reflect off the dust in the air!
Probably because the angle and viewing the lit particles in the air from the back side, rather than the front as you are from where the laser is emitting. But I'm not positive though.
